Anti-Cimex Archive

After my compendium of all known Shitlickers sleeve variations, I knew—feared—it was likely I would subsequently find out about another one. This one is not exactly what I was expecting. Although all the "design elements" other than the band logo and photo correspond to other known sleeve variations, I have a hard time accepting the legitimacy of this one. It is very obviously cobbled together from pieces of Shitlickers ephemera. The most interesting piece is the photo of Lasse, which I previously posted.

Here is an interview with Anti-Cimex from the UK zine Problem Child, issue 2. It's from the period between the final EP and the first 12" (ie, 1985). Not much revealed here, other than their plan for the 12" to have more than 10 songs and their distaste for fast US hardcore. Their influences, from glam to industrial to what you'd expect, are always interesting to consider, but these have been listed in other interview from the period.

After several years of internal debate (and data collection) here at Shit-Fi I'm finally feeling generous enough to post scans of all known sleeve variations for the Shitlickers' lone EP. In case you need more info about the record, check here, here, and here (most recent to oldest of my writing focused on the band, spanning over a decade). Also, check this interview with Lasse and this band bio by Kawakami.

Some points to keep in mind:

All the vinyl is the same. Writing on labels varies and cannot be assumed to done by band, label, or distributor.

No one, to my knowledge, can account for the order in which these were released. Therefore, this post does not attempt to do so.

The nomenclature for each one (eg, "GBG 1982" domestic sleeve) is my own; it should be self-evident.

I've included salient, confirmed details but not what countries in which the individual variations were originally distributed because that information is difficult to confirm. Some show what distributors carried them on the back.

Pressing numbers are a mystery, but my experience and consultation with fellow experts suggest that the white export sleeve, red export sleeve, and GBG 1982 domestic sleeve are the most common, in descending order.

Here's a translation of an article penned by Kawakami (of Disclose) that appeared in Crust War zine #5 around 1998 or 1999. The article preceded an interview with Jonsson translated from Sika Äpärä zine #3. I've been meaning to publish this interview here for a while, but it's actually not very interesting, as it consists mostly of inside jokes. One highlight, though, is Jonsson saying that he considers the Pixies to be as important as Discharge! Anyway, this introductory article, by Kawakami, is remarkable for the amount of information it contains, considering that it preceded any online detective work and, to my knowledge, none of this information had appeared previously in English in zines. Therefore, Kawakami had to overcome at least two language barriers in the process of compiling it. I assume he obtained most of the info from the interview that accompanied this article and from Mats B., who was releasing and mastering Disclose recordings around this time. Although some of the information included here has since been debunked, no one has yet, to my knowledge, refuted the claim that up to three recordings beyond the 7" and planned 2nd 7" (released on the picture LP) exist. Unfortunately, no one has turned up these demos either. Thanks to Zach Howard for the translation (which I edited slightly), and eternal thanks to Kawakami. RIP.

Over recent years, and especially over the recent days, I have received more questions about the clear-vinyl variation of "Raped Ass" than any others. A copy of it recently sold on the Swedish online auction site Tradera for 2032 kr, or approximately $289, which led to a flurry of e-mails to me and blog postings online. Actually, the occasion led to me hearing from an old friend, Christoffer, to whom I hadn't spoken in several years. I will attempt to give all the information available about this record, with the caveat that there is a good deal of conflicting information out there.

The vinyl facts: the record has the same matrix as the typical versions of "Raped Ass," clear vinyl, with one blank blue label and one blank white label. The sleeve is what's interesting.

Here is a flyer for what must have been one of the greatest gigs of 1986, at Birkagården, with Anti-Cimex, Mob 47, Agoni, and Disarm. Just pause and savor that line-up for a moment. Mob 47 were blazingly fast then; recordings from around this time appear on their 2xCD, reviewed elsewhere on this site. Disarm may have been somewhat less great than earlier in their career but probably still awesome. The short-lived Agoni were likely at their peak, before shifting directions and becoming a metal band. And Anti-Cimex in 1986 were brutal, drunk, and in the process of inventing metallic käng, which would become a dominant style of Swedish hardcore in the ensuing years.

Yet another test pressing post... As much as test pressings bore me, as I've mentioned, there is something to be said for collecting test pressings from the era when they were strictly utilitarian, before they were collectibles unto themselves. So: here's a photo of the test pressing of "Anarkist Attack," sent to me by a reader, Robin Wiberg. The story is that only 5 of these were made way back in 1982. I distinctly remember one of them auctioned on eBay quite a few years ago (I'd guess around 2001), which was won by a collector in California who specializes in test pressings.

Yet another Anti-Cimex test pressing from the vaults of Mats B. was auctioned on eBay. For punks of a certain generation (ie, mine), the Distortion Records reissue of the 2nd and 3rd Anti-Cimex EPs on a single 12", around the same time as the 12" version of the Shitlickers EP/unreleased EP, was more-or-less life-altering. I may be exaggerating somewhat, but for many of us, these releases were the first opportunity to absorb these legendary records. Although I do specifically remember the first time I heard Discharge (and, admittedly, I recall thinking "What's the big deal?"), I can't say I remember the first time I heard Anti-Cimex. But the odd, red-brick-colored vinyl of this release nevertheless became a prized possession, and even though it wasn't long until I had begun my pathological search for all pressing variations of the two original EPs, this particular reissue holds a special place in my heart. But not special enough for me to shell out $72 for a test pressing of it—the winning bid on this auction.

I previously posted about a gig in Naantali, Finland, where Anti-Cimex played with Vaurio (October 6, 1984). I had reported that this gig was the only one the band played in Finland in the early years. But I seem to have forgotten that this other poster was in my files. It lists two other gigs: one on the 5th in Turku and one on the 7th in Saari (I think), near the aptly named Punkaharju. Does anyone remember these gigs? Totally killer line-up here: Crude SS, Varaus, and Bedrövlerz, among others. The depressive brutality of these bands' take on hardcore combined with gallons of Finnish homebrew makes me think the punks must've experienced legendary hangovers when, or if, they ever sobered up. Hey, while we're at it: is it true Bedrövlerz recorded a cassette after their split with Asocial?